The Lynx: A low cost suborbital vehicle

Published 2:12 pm, Saturday, July 7, 2012

A two-seat reusable winged launch vehicle, the Lynx will take research and passengers to the suborbital level, or about 62 miles above the earth.

It will take off and land like an aircraft in a horizontal manner and its rocket propulsion system should allow the Lynx to take up to four flights per day. The ability to take off multiple times is possible because of fast turnaround between flights and the lower cost of operations and maintenance the Lynx requires when compared with more traditional spacecrafts, according to XCOR.

“We think Lynx is going to be an excellent scientific and educational research tool because of its low cost per flight (capability),” said Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer.

He said the vehicle is designed to handle a number of different experiments, including those that need to be mounted on the outside and have access to the higher atmosphere.

“Access to the vacuum of space and the upper atmosphere is important because atmospheric scientists want to know what is going on,” he said. “We know it’s important to global health. We just don’t know why.”

For example, if experiments could be performed on oncology drugs or other medications at the suborbital level, scientists believe they could produce better treatments, Nelson said.

After the vehicle has been successfully produced, Nelson said XCOR expects to have orders for Lynx vehicles from around the world.

And that, still is just a first step as XCOR leaders believe the Lynx will continue to be evolved and improved through the Midland R&D facility, he said.

“We’re really talking about transformative operations and technology that can impact everyone around the globe,” he said. “We see the Lynx as being that first stepping stone that gets us there. It’s a reasonable space plane that allows us to start beginning the industry.”